Led Zeppelin - Biography - IMDb Led Zeppelin Jump to: Overview (1) | Mini Bio (1) | Trade Mark (1) | Trivia (46) Overview (1) Led Zep Mini Bio (1) Led Zeppelin are a popular British band best known for their iconic "Stairway to Heaven" as well as for co-creating the music genre of heavy metal. Since their nine albums were recorded between 1968 and 1979, Led Zeppelin has been one of the most popular bands of all time, having sold more than 300 million records and millions of concert tickets worldwide. The quartet was conceived at the end of the Hippie love era, in a group marriage of blues, rock and roll, soul, rockabilly, folk ballad, jazz, classical and Eastern music, and something else scattered over some woozy sounds of their songs. It was their mutual artistic stimulation, their group interplay and imagination that incorporated mythology and mysticism, and concocted their inimitable style, and established the concept of album-oriented rock career.

Jimmy Page was already an experienced lead guitarist who worked with multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones in 1967, and they agreed to work on the next project. In August 1968 Page invited Robert Plant and John Bonham to join his band, the New Yardbirds, for a September tour in Scandinavia. In October 1968 they took the name Led Zeppelin, which stemmed from a humorous conversation among several musicians about their chances of going down like a lead balloon. However, British bands were highly anticipated in the USA, and the Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun signed the new band without even seeing them. Their debut album, 'Led Zeppelin', recorded and mixed in just about 36 hours in October 1968, at Olympic Studios in London, kicked open the door for all extremes and experiments. The phallic image of the blown up Hindenburg airship on the cover, designed by George Hardie, announced the hardening of rock and coming of the new super-group. While ascending to musical success as a powerhouse band, Led Zeppelin explored a variety of styles, from English folk ballads to blues and rock, and created their own inimitable style.

Prior to the release of their first album, Led Zeppelin made live appearances at the University of Surrey and in London in October 1968, then went on their first American tour in December 1968. In their first year, Led Zeppelin made four concert tours in the USA, and another four tours in the UK. Their second album was recorded entirely on the road at several American recording studios, and was an even greater success than the first one. "Whole Lotta Love", "Heartbreaker", "Living, Loving Maid", and "Ramble On" became big international hits. Each member of the quartet contributed to their compositions, thus setting a fine example of group creativity. Their songs and albums rambled on with the highly versatile voice-guitar interplay. Plant's incredible vocal range and Page's enchanting guitar solos were as responsible for the band's singularity as its musical wanderlust. Plant's and Page's musicianship was supported by the tight playing by John Paul Jones on bass, and John Bonham on drums. The intense interaction of all four players on stage gave their live performances a visual counterpoint to well intertwined harmonic and rhythmic structures of their compositions.

Their third album, Led Zeppelin III, influenced by folk and Celtic music, offered more inventiveness with acoustic/electric sound-work, and revealed more of the band's versatility with such compositions as the "Immigrant Song" and "Since I've Been Loving You". With the release of their fourth, and most popular album, Led Zeppelin achieved a reputation of the biggest band in the world. 'Stairway to Heaven' became the most played radio hit, several other songs became rock classics, and nobody knows how many more times their lines would help other musicians (like the opening riff from "How Many More Times" was later used by Pink Floyd in their hit "Money"). Capitalizing on the success of their first four albums, the band toured extensively in the 1970s. At that time they chartered a private jet, nicknamed the Starship, that carried the band's name and later added the famous 'Swan Song' winged Apollo image on the tail.

Going to California turned into a ritual of wildness and excess, most notably at the Hyatt House hotel on the Sunset strip in Los Angeles, known colloquially as the "Riot House" for a series of some most exciting off-stage events, such as riding a motorcycle inside the hotel and throwing TV set out of the window. One of their concerts under a heavy thunderstorm in Florida ended with police using tear gas, and led to a temporary pause in their concert tours. During the 70s their career was interrupted several times by accidents, deaths and other unfortunate events. In September 198O on the eve of an American tour, John Bonham accidentally died from pulmonary oedema after a day of drinking. In December 1980, Led Zeppelin disbanded, albeit the public could still feel their presence. In 1982 a collection of out-takes from various sessions from the 70s was released as their last album, Coda.

During the 80s the remaining three members experienced a serious communication breakdown, until they briefly united for a short set in 1985, and once again, in 1988, with Bonham's son, Jason, for the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show. In 1994 Page and Plant showed their softer side when they performed live together on 'MTV Unplugged', which was released the same year as album titled 'No quarter'. Then they made an international tour with an orchestra. In 1995 Page and Plant were joined by Jones when the band was indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, albeit the three former band-mates did not perform together. By that time Jimmy Page as well as Robert Plant had pursued individual careers touring and recording with their own bands. Another ten years gone. Page's and Plant's call-and-response interplay took them through good times and bad times. Their sonic originality had sparked imagination and creativity in millions of open minds. Singers, songwriters, armies of music fans and a rainbow of dedicated 'led heads', as well as guitarists and guitar collectors worldwide remained united through the acquired experience and conditioning to the Led Zep sounds.

Hats off to Led Zeppelin, who opened the new extremes of musical expression, and are now back in the light confirming their presence. Their long anticipated reunion in December 2007 was a true celebration day. Their live performance was as tight as a rock band can be, and their living, loving song remains the same since we've been loving them. That's the way! Thank you, Friends. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov Trade Mark (1) Often covered blues standards Trivia (46) Reunited on December 10, 2007, and gave a sold-out two-hour performance before 22,000 fans at the O2 arena in London, England. The name "Led Zeppelin" stemmed from a humorous conversation among several musicians about the new band's chances of going down like a lead balloon. Won the 2006 Polar Music Prize. Won the 2005 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Their song "Misty Mountain Hop" is named after J.R.R.

Tolkien 's "Misty Mountains"; "Ramble On" refers to Gollum and Mordor and "The Battle of Evermore" is an allegory from the "Battle of the Pelennor Fields" from "The Return of the King". VH1 named the group the #1 Greatest Artist of Hard Rock. On 12 January 1995 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH. Jimmy Page had also been previously inducted as a member of The Yardbirds . Jimmy Page 's first choice as singer was Terry Reid , but he declined and recommended Robert Plant instead. Plant accepted and brought in John Bonham to be the drummer. The band traveled in a jet nicknamed "The Starship". On the week ending 3 November 1979, the band set a new Billboard record for the most number of albums (nine) by a single artist in the Billboard 200 album chart, in any charting week. The band had surpassed the previous record, held by them in March 1975.

During 1975 three other albums by Swan Song recording artists-- Bad Company , The Pretty Things and Maggie Bell --were also in the Top 200. The band was formed under the name "The New Yardbirds". They were based on the original The Yardbirds rock band, which was the last band that Jimmy Page played in before joining Led Zeppelin. They were formed to finish performance commitments that The Yardbirds had booked in Scandinavia before the break-up of the original band. Robert Plant was given the nickname of Percy while he was a member of the band. "Dazed and Confused", "In the Light, In the Evening" and "How Many More Times" are the only Led Zeppelin songs in which lead guitarist Jimmy Page bows the guitar with a violin bow. "In My Time of Dying" is the longest song that Led Zeppelin ever recorded on a studio album. It clocks at 11 minutes and 4 seconds. It is found on the "Physical Graffiti", album which they released in 1975.

The band's concert in Uniondale, New York, at the Nassau County Coliseum on June 14, 1972, is the longest concert the band has ever performed in. It lasted 4-1/2 hours. The tune "Stairway to Heaven" is reputed to be the most played song of all-time on radio, even though it was never officially released as a single. Jimmy Page 's guitar, the 1959 Gibson Les Paul , is known for its powerful and distinctive sound that defined the music of Led Zeppelin. The guitar is considered one of the most valuable musical instruments ever. Page authorized a limited reissue edition of signature guitars to be made by the original maker. "Presence" is the only Led Zeppelin album that does not have any pianos, organs or keyboard-type instruments being used on any of the songs. Former member of The Yardbirds Chris Dreja took the picture that appears on the back of the self-titled first Led Zeppelin album. In "Rolling Stone"'s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All time, Jimmy Page was ranked at #3.

Robert Plant re-united with Jimmy Page in 1993 for a tour and album, "No Quarter.". "Dazed and Confused" was originally 6 minutes and 26 seconds on the band's first album. In concert, they would improvise and stretch the song from its original time to 7, 10, 20, and by 1975 it was stretched to 40 minutes. Sometmes the band would include parts of their other songs, like "Walter's Walk" and "The Crunge", and Scott McKenzie 's "San Francisco". After John Bonham 's death, there were media rumors that Cozy Powell , Carmine Appice , Simon Kirke or Bev Bevan might replace him as the band's drummer, but there was never any real consideration for this. Jason Bonham , the son of John Bonham , is widely considered as good a drummer as his father was. He successfully played his father's classic drums solos at the band's reunion concert in 2007.

Jack Black videotaped a plea to Led Zeppelin to use "Immigrant Song" in his movie School of Rock (2003) After receiving the message, the band gave him permission to use the song for his movie. Steve Winwood , Steve Marriott and Donovan were considered for the job of lead singer for Led Zeppelin before Robert Plant was hired. Sandy Denny is the only guest vocalist ever to be included in a Led Zeppelin song. She sang "The Battle of Evermore" with them on their untitled fourth album. The untitled fourth Led Zeppelin album has been referred to as "Untitled", "Zoso", "Runes", "Sticks", "Man With Sticks" or simply "Led Zeppelin IV". The largest concert in the history of the band took place in August 1979 at the Knebworth Festival where 420,000 people witnessed them perform. Their last official concert before John Bonham 's death was in Berlin, Germany, on July 7, 1980, at the Eissporthalle.

They made several unofficial reunion performances during the 1980s and 1990s at various parties and anniversaries. Finally the official reunion concert was performed on December 10, 2007, in London. When the band first played in Denmark, the Countess Zeppelin (relative of the designer of the famous dirigibles) angrily protested about their use of her family name. To defuse the situation, they played Danish shows under the name "The Knobs". They are the only rock band to have all of their albums, including re-releases and compilation albums, reach the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Before their one-off reunion in 2007, they had never played "Ramble On" live. After the group broke up, Jimmy Page would perform "Stairway to Heaven" as an instrumental. He felt no one could do the song justice except Robert Plant . The group was well-known for their reluctance to license their music. Two notable exceptions are the Cadillac television commercials featuring "Rock and Roll" and the appearance of "Immigrant Song" in School of Rock (2003).

'Stairway to Heaven' intro is from Led Zeppelin, says jury - CSMonitor.com 'Stairway to Heaven' intro is from Led Zeppelin, says jury Latest News A federal court jury decided that Led Zeppelin did not use a riff from the band Spirit's song 'Taurus' for the classic song 'Stairway to Heaven.' Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant both testified during the trial. By Brian Melley, Associated Press June 23, 2016 Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page (l.) and singer Robert Plant (r.) appear at a press conference ahead of the worldwide theatrical release of the concert film 'Celebration Day' in New York in 2012. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP View Caption of Led Zeppelin did not steal a riff from an obscure 1960s instrumental tune to use for the introduction of its classic rock anthem "Stairway to Heaven," a federal court jury decided Thursday. The verdict in Los Angeles settles a point that music fans have debated for decades but didn't find its way to court until two years ago, when the trustee for the late Randy Craig Wolfe filed a copyright lawsuit.

The trust claimed that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page lifted a passage that Wolfe, better known as Randy California, wrote for "Taurus," a short work he recorded with his band Spirit in 1968. Jurors found the trust had cleared a few hurdles, including that Page and Plant had "access" to "Taurus," meaning they would have been familiar with it. Trust attorney Francis Malofiy said he was sad and disappointed by the jury's decision. "The reality is that we proved access, but they could never hear what they had access to," Malofiy said. "It's bizarre." In trying to show the works were substantially similar, the trust had the tricky task of relying on sheet music because that's what is filed with the U.S. Copyright Office. Jurors were not played the "Taurus" recording, which contains a section that sounds very similar to the instantly recognizable start of "Stairway." Instead, they were played guitar and piano renditions by musicians on both sides of the case. Not surprisingly, the plaintiff's version on guitar sounded more like "Stairway" than the defense version on piano. Page and Plant, who wrote the "Stairway" lyrics, said their creation was an original.

In several hours of often-animated and amusing testimony, they described the craft behind one of rock's best-known songs, all the while denying knowledge of one of the genre's least-known tunes. In closing arguments, Malofiy criticized Page and Plant's "selective" memories and "convenient" truths on the witness stand. Experts for both sides dissected both compositions, agreeing mainly that they shared a descending chord progression that dates back three centuries as a building block in lots of songs. The trust's experts, however, went further and noted several other similarities that made the two works unlike the many other tunes they were compared to, including "My Funny Valentine" and The Beatles' "Michelle." Led Zeppelin's lawyer said the trust didn't own the copyright and that the plaintiff failed to prove a case that should have been brought more than 40 years ago when Wolfe was alive and Page and singer Robert Plant would have had better memories. "How can you wait a half century and criticize people ... 45 years later for the delay you caused?" Peter Anderson said.

"They should have sued in 1972." Wolfe, who died in 1997, had spoken with lawyers over the years about suing, but they never took on the case because it was old, said Glen Kulik, another lawyer for the trust. A Supreme Court ruling in 2014 over the movie "Raging Bull" opened the door to bring a copyright case at any time with damages only dating back three years and continuing into the future. Malofiy asked jurors to give Wolfe a songwriting credit and millions of dollars in damages, though he didn't provide a specific figure. The defense said record label profits from the past five years were $868,000, but Anderson reminded jurors that only a fraction of the eight-minute song was being challenged. The trial took jurors and lucky observers who managed to pack into the courtroom on a musical journey through the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Spirit, a California psychedelic group that blended jazz and rock, was achieving stardom as the hard-rocking British band was being founded.

Stops on the tour of testimony included Spirit shows at "love-ins" during the "Summer of Love," Led Zeppelin's U.S. debut as an opening act for Spirit and Vanilla Fudge in Denver in December 1968, and, finally, to a country house in the south of England where Page, Plant, and bassist John Paul Jones described how "Stairway" was born. Page said his ambition was to write a song that would accelerate to a crescendo and he first shared the opening with keyboardist and bassist John Paul Jones to get an ally in his scheme. Singer Robert Plant said he was sitting by the fire at Headley Grange in the spring of 1970 when Page played the intro on acoustic guitar and he offered the start of a couplet he had been working on: "There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold/and she's buying a stairway to heaven." Jurors never heard a note from Page or Plant live, but they were treated to lo-fi vintage recordings of the band creating the song, renditions on guitar and piano by other musicians, and, finally, the full recording of one of rock's most enduring anthems.

Page, 72, bobbed his head and moved to the tune while Plant, 67, sat still. Both men wore sharp suits, white shirts, and ties throughout the trial and had their hair pulled back in neat ponytails. They didn't chat with anyone in the gallery, including several fans, and were escorted by personal bodyguards to the restroom and in and out of the federal courthouse each day. One afternoon, a group of women clapped and Page flashed a smile as the rock stars were hustled across the courthouse corridor to a private hallway. The case is not the first time Led Zeppelin was accused of swiping another artist's work. The lawsuit listed at least six other songs in which the band reached settlements over songwriting credits for works, including "Whole Lotta Love," ''The Lemon Song," and "Dazed and Confused." Next up Get the Monitor stories you care about delivered to your inbox. Daily Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin Lyrics - YouTube Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin Lyrics Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented.

This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Nov 19, 2009 "Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's fourth unnamed studio album, (see Led Zeppelin IV (1971)).

The song was voted #3 in 2000 by VH1 on their list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs.[1] It was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States in the 1970s, despite never having been released as a single there.[2] In November 2007, through download sales promoting Led Zeppelin's Mothership release, "Stairway to Heaven" hit #37 on the UK Singles Chart.[3] Category Jury: 'Stairway to Heaven' was all Led Zeppelin Jury: 'Stairway to Heaven' was all Led Zeppelin A jury decided the band Led Zeppelin did not steal the opening to 'Stairway to Heaven.' Post to Facebook Jury: 'Stairway to Heaven' was all Led Zeppelin A jury decided the band Led Zeppelin did not steal the opening to 'Stairway to Heaven.' Check out this story on USATODAY.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

56 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Jury: 'Stairway to Heaven' was all Led Zeppelin AP Published 1:32 p.m. ET June 23, 2016 | Updated 3:12 p.m. ET June 23, 2016 CLOSE x Share A federal court jury decided on June 23rdd that Led Zeppelin did not steal a riff from an obscure 1960s instrumental tune to use for the introduction of its classic rock anthem 'Stairway to Heaven.' USA TODAY Led Zeppelin prevailed in the copyright case over 'Stairway to Heaven' on Thursday. (Photo: Evan Agostini, AP) 9423 CONNECT TWEET 1 LINKEDIN 56 COMMENTEMAILMORE LOS ANGELES (AP) — Led Zeppelin did not steal a riff from an obscure 1960s instrumental tune to use for the introduction of its classic rock anthem Stairway to Heaven, a federal court jury decided Thursday.

The verdict in Los Angeles settles a point that music fans have debated for decades but didn't find its way to court until two years ago, when the trustee for the late Randy Craig Wolfe filed a copyright lawsuit. The trust claimed that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page lifted a passage that Wolfe, better known as Randy California, wrote for Taurus, a short work he recorded with his band Spirit in 1968. Page and singer Robert Plant, who wrote the Stairway lyrics, said their creation was an original. "We are grateful for the jury's conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origin of Stairway to Heaven and confirming what we have known for 45 years. We appreciate our fans' support and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us," reads a statement from Page and Plant. In several hours of often-animated and amusing testimony, they described the craft behind one of rock's best-known songs, all the while denying knowledge of one of the genre's least-known tunes. Plant cracked up the courtroom when said he didn't remember most people he had hung out with over the years.

In closing arguments, Francis Malofiy, a lawyer representing Wolfe's trust, criticized Page and Plant's "selective" memories and "convenient" truths on the witness stand. In trying to show the works were substantially similar, the trust had the tricky task of relying on sheet music because that's what is filed with the U.S. Copyright Office. Jurors were not played the Taurus recording, which contains a section that sounds very similar to the instantly recognizable start of Stairway. Instead, they were played guitar and piano renditions by musicians on both sides of the case. Not surprisingly, the plaintiff's version on guitar sounded more like Stairway than the defense version on piano. Experts for both sides dissected both compositions, agreeing mainly that they shared a descending chord progression that dates back three centuries as a building block in lots of songs. The trust's experts, however, went further and noted several other similarities that made the two works unlike the many other tunes they were compared to, including MyFunny Valentine, and The Beatles' Michelle.

Led Zeppelin's lawyer said the trust didn't own the copyright and that the plaintiff failed to prove a case that should have been brought more than 40 years ago when Wolfe was alive and Page and singer Robert Plant would have had better memories. "How can you wait a half century and criticize people ... 45 years later for the delay you caused?" Peter Anderson said. "They should have sued in 1972." Wolfe, who drowned in 1997 saving his son at a beach in Hawaii, had spoken with lawyers over the years about suing, but they never took on the case because it was old, said Glen Kulik another lawyer for the trust. A Supreme Court ruling in 2014 over the movie Raging Bull opened the door to bring a copyright case at any time with damages only dating back three years and continuing into the future. Malofiy asked jurors to give Wolfe a songwriting credit and millions of dollars in damages, though he didn't provide a specific figure. The defense said record label profits from the past five years were $868,000, but Anderson reminded jurors that only a fraction of the eight-minute song was being challenged.

The trial took jurors and lucky observers who managed to pack into the courtroom on a musical journey through the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Spirit, a California psychedelic group that blended jazz and rock was achieving stardom as the hard-rocking British band was being founded. Stops on the tour of testimony included Spirit shows at "love-ins" during the Summer of Love, Led Zeppelin's U.S. debut as an opening act for Spirit and Vanilla Fudge in Denver in December 1968 and, finally, to a country house in the south of England where Page, Plant and bassist John Paul Jones described how Stairway was born. Page said his ambition was to write a song that would accelerate to a crescendo and he first shared the opening with keyboardist and bassist John Paul Jones to get an ally in his scheme.

Singer Robert Plant said he was sitting by the fire at Headley Grange in the spring of 1970, when Page played the intro on acoustic guitar and he offered the start of a couplet he had been working on: "There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold/and she's buying a stairway to heaven." Jurors never heard a note from Page or Plant live, but they were treated to lo-fi vintage recordings of the band creating the song, renditions on guitar and piano by other musicians and, finally, the full recording of one of rock's most enduring anthems. Page, 72, bobbed his head and moved to the tune while Plant, 67, sat still. Both men wore sharp suits, white shirts and ties throughout the trial and had their hair pulled back in neat ponytails. They didn't chat with anyone in the gallery, including several fans, and were escorted by personal bodyguards to the restroom and in and out of the federal courthouse each day. One afternoon, a group of women clapped and Page flashed a smile as the rock stars were hustled across the courthouse corridor to a private hallway.

The case is not the first time Led Zeppelin was accused of swiping another artist's work. The lawsuit listed at least six other songs in which the band reached settlements over songwriting credits for works including Whole Lotta Love, The Lemon Song, and Dazed and Confused. 9423 CONNECT TWEET 1 LINKEDIN 56 COMMENTEMAILMORE Read or Share this story: NEVER MISS OUT Life Be a pop culture maven. Get the news, reviews and the juiciest celebrity stories that keep you in the know, Monday-Friday. Jury out in Led Zeppelin copyright case Jury out in Led Zeppelin copyright case Frankie Taggart Pin it Share Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant denies using Spirit's song "Taurus" as the basis for the multimillion-selling song "Stairway to Heaven" (AFP Photo/Fabrice Coffrini) More Los Angeles (AFP) - A US jury will deliberate for a second day Thursday on whether Led Zeppelin poached the opening to "Stairway To Heaven" from an obscure Los Angeles rock band.

Songwriting duo Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have denied plagiarizing the guitar introduction of their classic 1971 song from "Taurus," an instrumental track by the long-defunct 1960s group Spirit. The case was brought before a federal court in Los Angeles by Michael Skidmore, the trustee and friend of Spirit guitarist Randy California, who drowned in 1997 having never taken legal action over the song. A jury of four men and four women deliberated for five hours Wednesday before being sent home by Judge Gary Klausner and asked to return on Thursday morning. Led Zeppelin frontman Plant, 67, testified on Tuesday that he recalled writing the lyrics of "Stairway" in 1970 as he and Page sat by a fireplace in an English country manor house where the band recorded and rehearsed. He said he was inspired to write the lines after he heard guitarist Page, 72, play the opening notes of what would become one of the most famous rock songs of all time.

The suit, which was filed by Skidmore two years ago, seeks damages and claims California deserves a songwriting credit so that he can "take his place as an author of rock's greatest song." "Give credit where credit is due. This case has always been about credit," Skidmore's attorney Francis Malofiy said as he presented his closing arguments on Wednesday. David Woirhaye, the chief financial officer of Rhino Entertainment -- which markets and distributes the Led Zeppelin catalog -- testified that "Stairway" had grossed $3.4 million during the five-year period at issue in the civil trial. - Substantial similarities - "We're asking for a one-third credit, a shared credit," Malofiy told jurors, asking that damages of between that amount and $13.5 million be awarded to California's trust. The jury had been told Zeppelin opened for Spirit when the hard rockers -- Plant, Page, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham -- made their US debut on December 26, 1968 in Denver.

But the surviving members have submitted testimony that they never had substantive interaction with Spirit or listened to 1967's "Taurus" before recording "Stairway" in December 1970 and January 1971. Experts called by the plaintiffs say there are substantial similarities between key parts of the two songs, but defense witnesses have testified that the chord pattern used in the intro to "Stairway" is so commonplace that copyright doesn't apply. Page told the court last week he first heard "Taurus" when his son-in-law showed him a comparison with "Stairway" on the Internet just a few years ago. He said he only recently discovered he owned Spirit's debut album, which includes "Taurus," after checking his record collection of more than 10,000 vinyls and CDs. Defense attorney Peter Anderson said Skidmore had not proved that the trust owned the copyright to "Stairway" or that Page and Plant had ever even heard Spirit perform in the few times the bands shared a concert bill in 1968 and 1969.

He told the jury the descending chromatic scale played by Page in the first moments of "Stairway" was a musical device so common and unoriginal that "it belongs to everyone." Reblog Original Complaint (Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" lawsuit) Original Complaint (Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" lawsuit) The original complaint in the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit. Copyright: © All Rights Reserved United States District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania v. Led Zeppelin James Patrick Page Robert Anthony Plant John Paul Jones Super Hype Publishing, Inc. Warner Music Group Corp. Parent of: Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. Atlantic Recording Corporation Rhino Entertainment Company Defendants Copyright Infringement Right of Attribution – Falsification of Rock n’ Roll History Jury Trial Demanded Copyright Infringement and Related Claims Regarding Stairway to Heaven Francis Alexander, llc Francis Alexander Malofiy, Esquire Attorney ID No.: 208494 280 N.

Providence Road | Suite 105 Media, PA 19063 T: (215) 500-1000 F: (215) 500-1005 E: francis@francisalexander.com Law Firm / Lawyer for Plaintiff Case 2:15-cv-03462-RGK-AGR Document 1 Filed 05/31/14 Page 1 of 40 Page ID #:1 1. In the summer of 1967, Randy Craig Wolfe (aka Randy California), discovered by Jimi Hendrix, was a founding member of the eclectic rock band Spirit who pioneered the psychedelic rock sound. The band fused rock and jazz and enhanced the audio palette by incorporating mind-bending and mood-altering effects such as the Etherwave-Theremin, delay, and distortion into their recorded songs and live performances. 2. In January 1968 Spirit released a self-titled album named Spirit —a top 40 Billboard charting album.

On that album was a unique 2 minute and 37 second instrumental titled “Taurus” which has a distinct-plucked guitar line and melody. Little did anyone know at the time, 17-year old Randy had created what would become some of the most famous guitar work in the history of music. 3. Late in 1968, a then new band named Led Zeppelin began touring in the United States, opening for Spirit. It was during this time that Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin’s guitarist, grew familiar with “Taurus” and the rest of Spirit’s catalog. Page stated in interviews that he found Spirit to be “very good” and that the band’s performances struck him “on an emotional level.” 4. Jimmy Page’s use of the Etherwave-Theremin, and other psychedelic-type audio effects which helped give Led Zeppelin its distinctive sound—especially prominent in “Whole Lotta Love”—was inspired by seeing California effectively use these types of audio-enhancing effects on tour. 5. Within days after opening for Spirit, Led Zeppelin quickly began to cover Spirit’s songs—incorporated the song “Fresh Garbage” from Spirit’s self-titled album into their live sets.

“Fresh Garbage” was on the same album side as “Taurus.” 6. A year after touring with Spirit, Page allegedly wrote the most famous rock song of all time—“Stairway to Heaven”—by fireside in a remote cottage in Wales called Bron-Yr-Aur; it was released in 1971. It is no coincidence that the iconic notes to “Stairway Page 2 of 35 9. When Jimmy Page was interviewed and asked “When you were borrowing from classic blues songs on the first two albums, did you ever think it would catch up to you?” Page answered this question as follows: ” You mean getting sued? Well, as far as my end of it goes, I always tried to bring something fresh to anything that I used. I always made sure to come up with some variation. In fact, I think in most cases you would never know what the original source could be. Maybe not in every case– but in most cases. So most of the comparisons rest on the lyrics. And Robert was supposed to change the lyrics, and he didn’t always do that– which is what brought on most of the grief.

They couldn’t get us on the guitar parts of the music, but they nailed us on the lyrics. We did, however, take some liberties, I must say [laughs]. But never mind; we did try to do the right thing, it blew up in our faces…” See Brad Tolinski with Greg DiBenedetto, “Page Delves into Led Zeppelin’s Rich Past,” Guitar World (May 1993).  Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin | Loeb & Loeb Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin USDC, C.D. California, April 8, 2016 In Depth Click here to download a PDF of the full decision.

In copyright infringement action over iconic Led Zeppelin song “Stairway to Heaven” filed more than 40 years after song was first released, district court partially denies defendants’ motion for summary judgment, allowing estate of late guitarist in rock group Spirit to proceed to trial on claims that “Stairway to Heaven” infringed Spirit’s song “Taurus.” In 2014, after the release of a remastered version of the song “Stairway to Heaven,” Michael Skidmore, on behalf of the estate of Randy Craig Wolfe, the late guitarist in the rock group Spirit, filed suit for copyright infringement and violation of the right of attribution against the surviving members of Led Zeppelin — James Patrick Page, Robert Anthony Plant and John Paul Jones — as well as Super Hype Publishing Inc. and Warner Music Group Corp. The suit involved two songs: “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin and “Taurus” by Spirit. Plaintiff presented evidence that Wolfe wrote “Taurus” in 1966 and performed it before he entered into an exclusive songwriter agreement with Hollenbeck Music in 1967.

Led Zeppelin recorded “Stairway to Heaven” between December 1970 and January 1971. While fans and critics alike have noticed the similarities between the two songs, Wolfe did not file suit during his lifetime. Plaintiff became trustee of the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust in 2006 and sued in 2014, 43 years after the initial release of “Stairway to Heaven.” Defendants raised three defenses to the copyright infringement claim: (1) abandonment/waiver, (2) laches and (3) defective deposit copy. The abandonment defense was based on statements Wolfe made during a 1991 interview that he did not object to Led Zeppelin’s use of the introduction to “Taurus” in their song.

However, the district court found that plaintiff had proffered sufficient evidence to raise a triable issue regarding abandonment, because (1) the journalist who conducted the interview testified that Wolfe never received or reviewed the interview notes before the article was published, (2) the tenor of the interview indicated that Wolfe actually felt cheated by Led Zeppelin and was attempting to make light of a bad situation, and (3) Wolfe told other people he wanted to sue over the song but was intimidated or deterred from doing so. Next, the district court rejected defendants’ argument that the copyright claim was barred by the doctrine of laches. Although plaintiff did not file suit until more than four decades after “Stairway to Heaven” was first released, he did bring suit within the three-year statute of limitations — that is, within three years after the release of the remastered version of “Stairway to Heaven.” The court rejected defendants’ argument that plaintiff’s delay precluded him from seeking infringer’s profits, but allowed defendants to seek to reduce an award of profits in the event liability were established. Finally, the district court rejected defendants’ argument that the deposit copy of the “Taurus” musical composition was invalid because it did not bear the official Library of Congress stamp.

The Ninth Circuit has held that mistakes or omissions on copyright registration materials do not invalidate a copyright absent detrimental reliance by the infringer or intentional fraud by the registrant, noted the district court. Defendants also argued that plaintiff could not sue for copyright infringement because (1) the song is a work for hire owned by Hollenbeck Music, (2) Wolfe did not comply with statutory formalities to secure his federal copyright interest and (3) Wolfe’s failure to timely respond to discovery requests meant that he had conceded the work-for-hire issue. Since “Taurus” was created before 1978, the 1909 Copyright Act governed, and under the 1909 Act, the author of a work owns the copyright in the work. However, the definition of “author” includes “employer in the case of works made for hire.” Since the 1909 Act did not include a definition of “work made for hire” or “employer,” courts have ruled that the work-for-hire doctrine refers only to works made by employees in the regular course of their employment.

In 1967, Wolfe entered into an exclusive songwriting agreement with Hollenbeck, in which he was deemed a “writer for hire” with “full rights of copyright renewal vested in Hollenbeck.” Hollenbeck originally registered a copyright in the “Taurus” musical composition, naming Hollenbeck as the “Copyright Claimant” and Wolfe as the “Author.” In 1996, however, Wolfe renewed the “Taurus” registration in his own name, without any reference to Hollenbeck. Then in 2016, Hollenbeck filed supplementary registrations with the Copyright Office, amending both the 1967 initial registration and the 1996 renewal registration to clarify that “Taurus” was a work for hire. Defendants argued that the songwriter agreement and the copyright registration certificates established that “Taurus” was a work for hire. The district court found that defendants’ reliance on the copyright registration certificates was misplaced. It pointed out that a copyright certificate establishes only prima facie evidence of the validity of a copyright and of the facts in the certificate.

Plaintiff proffered sufficient evidence to rebut the presumption by presenting evidence that “Taurus” was written and performed in 1966, before Wolfe entered the songwriter agreement with Hollenbeck. Lastly, the district court rejected defendants’ arguments that plaintiff’s untimely response to a request for admission and failure to comply with statutory formalities constituted a concession that “Taurus” was a work for hire. Regarding the issue of copying, the court found that, while there was no direct evidence that Led Zeppelin had heard “Taurus” or that “Taurus” was so widely distributed that access could be presumed, plaintiff had submitted circumstantial evidence from which a jury could conclude that Led Zeppelin had heard “Taurus.” Plaintiff demonstrated that Spirit and Led Zeppelin had performed at the same concert at least three times and that members of the bands had interacted with each other at these concerts. Plaintiff also presented evidence Spirit “regularly” played “Taurus” at their concerts during this time period, and that Led Zeppelin members had admitted to copying musical elements of other Spirit songs.

On the issue of copying, the district court found that plaintiff failed to present evidence of striking similarity, but had raised a triable issue as to substantial similarity. The district court first found that plaintiff’s experts had improperly considered unprotected performance elements in the sound recording of “Taurus,” whereas the only copyrighted work at issue was the musical composition. However, the district court found that under the extrinsic test, the structural similarities in the works — specifically the use of a descending chromatic four-chord progression — was enough to create a triable issue regarding substantial similarity. Turning to the issue of damages, defendants argued that any potential recovery should be reduced by 50 percent because plaintiff was suing as a beneficial owner based on his right to royalties under the 1967 exclusive songwriter agreement. Plaintiff did not oppose this argument, and the district court granted summary judgment, holding that plaintiff, as a beneficial owner, was entitled to only 50 percent of the recovery. The district court rejected defendants’ argument that plaintiff’s damages should not include damages from foreign profits.

While the Ninth Circuit has held that “infringing actions that take place entirely outside the United States are not actionable” under the Copyright Act, a plaintiff may recover damages flowing from exploitation abroad of the domestic acts of infringement. Although it was not disputed that Led Zeppelin had first composed “Stairway to Heaven” in the United Kingdom, plaintiff presented testimony that an early iteration of “Stairway to Heaven” was actually mixed in Los Angeles. The court therefore held that summary judgment was inappropriate. The court did grant summary judgment in favor of defendants Jones, Super Hype Publishing and Warner Music, because none of those parties had performed or distributed “Stairway to Heaven” within the three years preceding the instant action. Finally, according to the court, plaintiff presented “an inventive — yet legally baseless — claim creatively termed, ‘Falsification of Rock ‘n Roll History.’” Plaintiff’s right of attribution claim also failed because under the Copyright Act, only works of visual arts are entitled to the right of attribution.

Editorial Board ’Stairway To Heaven’ Plagiarism Suit Heads To Trial | WBEZ 'Stairway To Heaven' Plagiarism Suit Heads To Trial Bill Chappell, NPR Digital Media April 12, 2016 Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin are defendants in a copyright lawsuit that accuses their band of lifting music from the song "Taurus" by the Los Angeles band Spirit. A jury trial is now set for a lawsuit that says members of Led Zeppelin plagiarized a key element of the bestselling song "Stairway to Heaven." The estate of Randy Wolfe, the late guitarist of the band Spirit, initially filed the federal lawsuit two years ago. More content below this sponsor message On Friday, U.S District Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled that there's enough evidence to move ahead with a trial to decide whether Led Zeppelin and guitarist Jimmy Page unfairly appropriated the guitar line from the Spirit song "Taurus," which Wolfe – performing as Randy California – wrote years before "Stairway to Heaven" was released in 1971.

Hear them for yourself: The lawsuit was filed with a Philadelphia court back in 2014 – the same year Led Zeppelin released a newly remastered version of "Stairway to Heaven." A year later, the venue was changed to California, to the same court that recently ruled in favor of the estate of Marvin Gaye in its copyright infringement lawsuit over the 2013 hit "Blurred Lines," by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke. Among the claims in the lawsuit against Led Zeppelin: that the band perpetrated a "falsification of Rock n' Roll History." In his order, Judge Klausner finds that claim "inventive—yet legally baseless," saying that he diligently sought out anything that might support the theory. Klausner also removed Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones from the suit, along with music publishers Super Hype and Warmer Music. That leaves Robert Plant and Jimmy Page as the leading defendants in the case. Spirit recorded their song "Taurus" in 1967.

As Klausner recounts in his court order, the plaintiff says that Led Zeppelin's members had a chance to become familiar with Spirit's music because the two bands "performed at the same venue on the same day at least three times between 1968 and 1970." Those shows, Klausner notes, were all part of festivals. The judge also notes that Led Zeppelin's surviving members have "testified that they never toured with, shared a stage with, or listened to any of Spirit's music during these brief encounters." The "Stairway to Heaven" trial is set to begin on May 10, and the plaintiff's attorney, Francis Alexander Malofiy, has said that he's seeking a songwriting credit for Wolfe. A favorable finding could also bring a share of the song's profits — by 2008, it had reportedly earned $562 million . We'll also note that in at least two recent cases, Malofiy has been accused of improper behavior — including allegations of "misleadingly altering a document in a $5 million class action" against Volvo, as Law 360 reported in February, and creating what a U.S.

district judge called a "poisonous atmosphere" in a copyright case against the singer Usher, as Philly.com reported last year. Sound familiar? 'Stairway to Heaven,' 'Taurus' and other sound-alike songs - LA Times Sound familiar? 'Stairway to Heaven,' 'Taurus' and other sound-alike songs Robert Plant Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant. (David Redfern / Redferns/Getty Images) Robert Plant Sometimes the artists change, but the songs, well, they remain the same. A recent judge's decision to allow a copyright lawsuit over the opening bars of "Stairway to Heaven" to proceed against Led Zeppelin et al. brings to mind other twinned tunes, some of which resulted in legal battles and others that just made the world go, "Hmm ..." 'Stairway to Heaven'/'Taurus'/'Cry Me a River' The lawsuit against Led Zeppelin says that Spirit lead guitarist Randy Wolfe, a.k.a.

Randy California, wrote the song "Taurus" in 1966 or '67, and notes that Spirit and Zeppelin played in the same venues on the same dates three times between 1967 and 1970. "Stairway to Heaven" came out in late 1971. The familiar notes start about 45 seconds into "Taurus" and, interestingly, can also be heard in "Cry Me a River" by the late British guitarist Davey Graham, who was featured in a 1959 BBC documentary about folk music. Wolfe drowned in 1997, and his estate made the accusation against Zeppelin in 2014, ahead of a remastered re-release of the band's music. The suit seeks, in part, a writing credit for Wolfe. 'Taurus' / Spirit 'Stairway to Heaven' / Led Zeppelin 'Cry Me a River' / Davey Graham Little Big Town / Bonnie Tyler "It's a Heartache" by Bonnie Tyler was released in 1978 and subsequently covered by Juice Newton, Rod Stewart, Lorrie Martin and Trick Pony.

Then when Little Big Town's "Girl Crush" came out in December 2014, folks noticed a similarity. Songwriter Lori McKenna told Rolling Stone at the time that she'd tried out the title on songwriting friends Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey. Rose hated it, but Lindsey fell in love and "played the first chord and sang the first verse as it is," McKenna said. Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild told the magazine, "I'd never heard a jealousy song written like this." 'Girl Crush' / Little Big Town 'It's a Heartache' / Bonnie Tyler Lady Gaga / Madonna When Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" came out in February 2011, there were comparisons to Madonna's 1989 hit "Express Yourself." Gaga said at the time that Madge and her team had emailed, sending her "their love and complete support on behalf of the single." But a year later, Madonna called the newer turn "reductive," and a few months later she covered it during rehearsal for a concert in Tel Aviv, mixing it up with her own song.

In November 2013, Gaga said she'd been "completely kind of floored" that Madonna had covered "Born This Way" at all. "I'm not quite sure what her intention was -- to do that in the show," she told Britain's Attitude magazine,"but I don't really care." 'Born This Way' / Lady Gaga 'Express Yourself' / Madonna Robin Thicke / Marvin Gaye "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and Pharrell topped the 2013 charts, and Marvin Gaye's kids heard a lot of their dad's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up" in the newer tune's catchy beat. They sued, and in March 2015 a jury awarded them $7.4 million in unpaid licensing fees and a chunk of the song's profits. "You've made it illegal to reference previous material," L.A. composer and producer Gregory Butler told The Times after the decision .

"I'm never going to come up with something so radically different that it doesn't contain references to something else." 'Blurred Lines' / Robin Thicke 'Got to Give It Up' / Marvin Gaye Vanilla Ice / Queen Vanilla Ice was accused of ripping off Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" in his defining 1990 tune, "Ice Ice Baby." He denied it, saying, "We sampled 'em from 'em, but it's not the same bass line. Like, it goes, 'Ding ding ding di di ding, ding ding ding di di ding ding, ding ding ding.' That's the way theirs goes. Ours goes, 'Ding ding ding di di ding ding, ding DING di di ding ding,'" but later retracted his denial. The lawsuit was settled out of court, with the "Under Pressure" side reportedly getting a big chunk of change and Freddy Mercury and Bowie getting writing credits on the tune. 'Ice Ice Baby' / Vanilla Ice 'Under Pressure' / Queen & David Bowie

Question: Which 1970's super group recorded "Stairway to Heaven"?
Answer: Led Zeppelin